Happy HugBot Haptics

[Randy Eady]

"Being squeezed by a hugging robot is surprisingly enjoyable!"​ ~ A. E. Block,  HugBot Developer

While it is known ​(and has been well-documented for decades at the Touch Research Institute in Miami) ​that physical contact with other humans or even animals ​has numerous​ health​ and well-being​ benefits (e.g., lowering our blood pressure and cortisol levels, alleviating stress and anxiety, strengthening our social bonds and immune systems and increasing oxytocin levels), the ​influence ​of physical contact with robots are still poorly understood.

 Bolder Human-Robot Interaction

Yep! A 2021 conference theme goes there. In a distinct showcase of exciting interdisciplinary & multidisciplinary research in human-robot interaction (w/roots in and broad participation from aligned communities in: robotics, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, human factors, design, and social & behavioral sciences).

In a paper entitled: The Four Hug Commandments: Design and Evaluation of a Human-Sized Hugging Robot with Visual and Haptic Perception

 

Block notes how her new robotic platform was built according to specific design tenets, or 'commandments' for natural and enjoyable robotic hugging:

 

A hugging robot should be soft, be warm, be human sized, visually perceive its huggie, adjust its embrace to the right size and position and reliably release when the desire to hug wanes. By following these commandments, HB has been rated as giving excellent hugs.

Block describes how warmth and comfort begins with the robot's body: covered with heating pads and padded mittens hands 

"Being squeezed by a hugging robot is surprisingly enjoyable!"​ ~ A. E. Block, Developer HugBot

HB's head, created using 3-D printing, consists of a computer, a screen to serve as its face, a depth-sensing camera, a speaker and a micro-controller.

The screen shows different animated facial expressions on a purple background, which offers up empathetic sensing as HB smiles, blinks and, once the camera sensed someone was walking towards it: HB lifts its arms and asks:  "Can I have a hug, please?"

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​Additionally, HB's arms have joint-torque sensors modeled to perceive hugging as a form of grasping.

Using this torque-thresholding grasping method, allows for tremendous adaptation in the robot's hugs to ensure it matches the body of an approaching huggie to "Goldilocks" them and not hold them too tight or too loose.

On the haptic release aspect, the torque sensors on the robot's arms detect when a user wishes to leave the embrace. The HB's inflatable sensing torso makes for a more natural and intuitive embrace, for when a user has removed his/her arms from the robot's back, HB mirrors the pressure release to end the hug.

​Exploring the potential of the system they developed, the researchers are currently designing a new experiment aimed at assessing the physiological effects of receiving hugs from HuggieBot.

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To potentiate hug-haptics ​a​ future HuggieApp ​plans ​​to permit people to remotely send each other customized hugs via the HuggieBot.​ Via this app, people can also substitute the animated faces on the robot's integrated screen with customized videos sent by loved ones.